American jacana

The American jacana (Jacana spinosa) is a type of water bird belonging to the family Jacanidae, within the order Charadriiformes. These birds are distinguished by their long claws, which enable them to walk on floating vegetation. The American jacana, found in the tropics of the Americas, can be either black or reddish in coloration.

In many jacana species, a unique reproductive strategy is observed where the female is larger and more dominant than the male. The female may lay multiple eggs, but then leaves the incubation and care of the young to the male. Their nests are typically shallow, floating platforms among aquatic plants, and the chicks are precocial, able to walk shortly after hatching. Both adults and chicks have been known to dive and submerge to escape danger.12